Transportation Links

New Lane Opens on I-95
Commuters and holiday shoppers on a 3-mile stretch of I-95 from the Occoquan River to the Springfield Interchange have another lane to travel as the first phase of the widening of the interstate has been completed, according to media reports.

The additional lane runs northbound from the Route 1 exit up to the Fairfax County Parkway. According to the state transportation department, 6,000 vehicles per hour travel north on this section of I-95 every morning, WTOP.com has reported.

The next phase of the project, the addition of a fourth lane of traffic on I-95 South from Springfield down to the Occoquan River, is scheduled to be completed fall 2010. The final phase, the addition of a lane to each side of the Occoquan River bridge, is expected to be completed in 2011.

Fairfax County OKs Metro Rail Tax District
Fairfax County supervisors have approved a special tax district that will help pay for the last three Metro stations in the Dulles corridor, WTOP reported recently

Commercial landowners in the area approved the additional real estate tax that is expected to raise $330 million for the project. The extension calls for a new Metrorail line from Falls Church through Tysons Corner, and from Reston and Herndon to Dulles Airport and Loudoun County.

It is the second tax district created to support the Dulles project; the first tax district is helping to fund stations already under construction in Tysons Corner and Reston.

Will Virginia Lawmakers Consider Gas Tax Hike?
As Virginia lawmakers prepare to meet in January for the 2010 General Assembly, speculation is running on the likelihood that raising the gas tax may be on the table.

The state faces a $4 billion budget deficit, requiring transportation agencies to come up with $851.5 million in reductions to administrative, operational, maintenance and construction programs to balance their budgets, according to VDOT.

The Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance, a McLean-based organization, said raising the gas tax in Virginia would produce the money for much-needed transportation projects, WTOP.com has reported.

GPS maker TomTom recently issued the results a study confirming what we already know: the DC area has some of the worst traffic in the country.

TomTom collected traffic data from anonymous, GPS-enabled drivers over the last year and found that Montgomery County ranks 4th as the most congested area behind Seattle, Los Angeles and Chicago. Congestion was defined as traffic moving at only 70 percent or less of the posted speed limit.